Shades of Sea and Sky

I grew up in the North Pacific, slowly accepted the Atlantic as a second home, once sailed in the Gulf of Alaska, and spent one cold semester gazing out at the North Sea. Now I’ve discovered the oceanic love of my life: the Ligurian Sea, a gorgeously-hued part of the Mediterranean that gently troubles the shores of the Cinque Terre.

After a few months in the colorless, wintry haze of the East Coast, I basked in the colors of the Mediterranean as much as its warming sunshine. As a wannabe-mermaid and nature photographer, I wanted to take these blues and greens home with me like a piece of beach glass, hoarding them with all the other gems of seas and sunsets I’ve ever seen.

Of the five villages in the Cinque Terre, only my favorite–Monterosso al Mare–has a sizable “beach” that visitors frequent, and I suspect it would be much less enjoyable dotted with umbrellas in the summer. Still, during the last days of April, its shores remained fairly deserted, while most early-bird holidayers enjoyed wine and gelato from a safe distance.

As lovely as the waters were, I wasn’t tempted to swim in them: thanks to this great purple tide! For whatever reason, a large swath of jellyfish had recently washed up on shore (perhaps due to a seasonal migration?), making the marbled currents beautiful and potentially dangerous.

The sky soon turned lavender and pale turquoise to match the water as the sun went down…

..but not before a final flash of light complemented the pinks and oranges of Cinque Terre architecture!

I wish it were so easy to cork up a sunset like a message in a bottle and lend it to a lonely friend mid-monochrome winter! I suppose I’ll have to stick with sharing photos and memories instead.